NFL Rumors: Former Jets GM Joe Douglas Said ‘I’m Answering To A Teenager’ About Woody Johnson | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Before he was fired in November, former New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas was fed up with the power structure above him.

Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver of The Athletic reported that Jets team owner Woody Johnson began including his teenage sons Brick and Jack in some meetings at the team facility. The teens’ involvement led some team members to believe they had influenced their father’s behavior, particularly Johnson’s propensity for sharing social media posts and articles from various media outlets with the organization’s top decision-makers.

“When we discuss things, you’ll hear Woody quoting something Brick or Jack read online, weighed equally against the opinions of others in the department,” a Jets executive said.

The evolving power dynamic clearly didn’t sit well with Douglas, who reportedly quipped to people close to him before the season, “I’m answering to a teenager.”

In fairness, a team spokesman dismissed the claim that Johnson allowed his sons to influence his decisions.

“It serves as a reference point; it’s not decisive,” the spokesman said of Brick and Jack’s observations. “It’s really sad that an adult would use a misleading anecdote about teenagers to make his father look bad. It’s frankly ridiculous that this has been used to influence the opinions of senior leaders. (The sons) play no role in the organization. It is completely ridiculous to suggest that outside information should replace the opinion of (Woody Johnson’s) employees.

Johnson, who fired head coach Robert Saleh just five games into the 2024 season, opted to fire Douglas last month rather than wait for his contract to expire at the end of the year. The Jets have already begun interviewing potential GM candidates.

However, it’s hard to imagine that the Jets’ open positions will be very attractive given Johnson’s alleged micromanagement of the team.